Historical Subject Knowledge
My background is as a historical researcher, and I have done research in many different periods of history, using many different research methods and materials. Now, I thoroughly understand the research process from both sides - as an archivist and a researcher. My greatest area of emphasis has been understanding primary sources in whatever period and region I have studied, through close reading, studying the artifact when this is possible, and analysis of social context. My subject knowledge is strongest for the late 19th century. Here is a reflection I wrote as an undergrad after doing research on 19th century Native American community relations:
This background has been instrumental in my decision to focus on preserving and making available the sources that make this research possible. Here are a few examples of my historical research papers and projects on a variety of subjects, ranging from Byzantine history, to central Europe in the middle ages, to the history of a particular alliance in modern American advertising:
- Paper on medieval charters and the Jewish population
- Urban/Rural Tension in Byzantine Anatolia
- Paper on St. Nicholas of Sion
- Representations in Zosimus
- Website analyzing cross-industry synergies in the history of media advertising
All uncredited photos on this site were taken by Gabriel Chrisman
All material copyright Gabriel Chrisman, 2010
No reproduction allowed without permission